Wednesday, October 3, 2012

ROBOSHAFT

So, I've not posted here in over a year. I think it's about time I talk about what I've been doing!

Back in November of 2011, my very good friend DJ (his blog) and I began work, as we often do, on a new game idea! We both agreed that we wanted to create a game that was restrained in scope so it could be completed relatively quickly. Well, naturally, we took that intention to its logical conclusion and decided to stay up for 24 hours straight and complete a game in that time-frame. Crazy? Probably, but we were overcome with youthful exuberance and unhealthy caffeine levels.

After about two hours, we had finally gotten our work-station set-up. I know what you're thinking - our pace is blistering. It was. Two hours later we had the start of a design document, level and character concept art, and one enemy sprite.

All of a sudden, we simultaneously realized we could not finish this game in 24 hours (shocking!). We had a decision to make: ignore our obvious failure at estimating the time commitment required to make a game and just keep working through the night OR abandon the project and go out with our friends.

So, as any normal person would do, we went out. But! We were both still fond of the game idea, and continued to work on it over the next couple months.

Where we are now:

Our game, ROBOSHAFT, has garnered international critical acclaim and has an enormous cult following!

Ok, not really. But! We are well on our way to releasing a demo. After almost a year, working intermittently due to other commitments, the scope of the game has expanded well beyond what could have been accomplished in only 24 hours.

What's the game like?

ROBOSHAFT is essentially a fast-paced, frantic, action arcade-platformer. You play as a synthetic, or artificially created "human,"created to kill your recently-murdered Designer's ex-partner, the CEO of SYNTHESYS (Synthetic Systems). You must travel up the hazardous ROBOSHAFT to reach the CEO and complete your mission.

Beneath the ROBOSHAFT there exists the lower levels of the SYNTHESYS HQ building. The player will be able to explore these areas, learn about the retro-futuristic world in which the game is set, and interact with different characters.

I'll update this blog more frequently now with, predominantly, ROBOSHAFT art, animations, info, and demos! A demo will be released this year, however, it's difficult to put a specific date on it as both DJ and I have other priorities which, unfortunately, sometimes supersede ROBOSHAFT work.